The National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts (National Consortium) is committed to providing an annual forum to educate members of the courts, the legal profession, the law enforcement community, and the general public on matters concerning racial and ethnic fairness in the courts. However, due to the current global health crisis regarding the coronavirus COVID-19 and the growing body of knowledge as to the risks to the community through large-scale events that include social proximity of people from across the country, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy issued executive orders declaring a state of emergency, declaring a public health emergency, and limiting public gathering over 50 people. Consequently, the Board of Directors of the National Consortium has decided to cancel the 2020 Annual Conference that was to take place in New Brunswick, New Jersey, April 29 – May 2, 2020.

We are grateful for the time and effort expended by the New Jersey Judiciary and the Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement to develop an exciting and informative educational program that included judicial and legal scholars to discuss a myriad of topics facing the courts. The National Consortium will monitor the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue planning other events to enable us to share information on innovative programs and reforms in state, federal, and tribal courts.

We appreciate everyone who had registered for the conference and reserved hotel rooms. The Hyatt Regency-New Brunswick has already notified you regarding hotel guestroom cancellations. The National Center for State Courts will continue to process refunds of paid conference registration fees. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Please check this website for periodic updates on the work of the Consortium and future programming, including the 2021 Conference and Annual meeting which is scheduled to take place in North Dakota in May 2021.

Hon. Susan F. Maven, J.S.C.President and Moderator, National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts

H. Clifton Grandy, Esq.Secretary/Treasurer and Coordinator, National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts